Fast flowing rivers and aching bones!

I have just returned from yet another heavenly week in Foca, Turkey.  Each time I go I am overwhelmed by the friendliness of the local people, who can never do enough for you.  On this visit we had to have some repairs done to the house that was handed down to my sister and I from our mother, who had lived there for a few years.  In less than two days we had organised for a painter, plasterer, carpenter and tiler to 'fix it' for us.  They not only turned up on time, they didn't take any breaks and stayed until the job was done - amazing, and very refreshing!
Then I had to return to the British Summer - when will that start I wonder?!
But it being summer time, does mean that the rowing regatta season is hotting up, with Henley Women's Regatta attempting to take place over this weekend.  Already there has been a warning that it may not take place due to all the rain water coming off the land and making the Thames flow quicker that the rapids over Vic Falls!
So I have an overseas rowing coach staying with me, while his crews have a week of training on a river that is practically un-rowable!  After a long day of training he mentioned that he was suffering with arthritis pains in his feet, something he has suffered a lot with more recently.  On asking if he ate many tomatoes, his reply was 'yes, I love tomatoes, I buy some every day just to eat as a snack, I don't really like any other veg'.  Trying to convince him that there was a connection between the fruit he loves and the pain in his foot was not easy, but the promise of a freshly baked cake at the end of his hard day hopefully was enough to compensate.  Little did he know I had sneaked in a few vegetables to compensate his appalling diet!  The addition of ginger in the buttercream is also good as an anti-inflammatory.

Carrot, courgette and Ginger Cake


2 eggs
100 g dark muscovado sugar
75 ml sunflower oil
100 g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
60 g raisins
2 tbsp chopped mixed peel
150 g carrot, grated
100 g courgette, grated
For the butter icing - 
100 g unsalted butter
175 g icing sugar
2-3 knobs stem ginger, diced
stem ginger syrup

• Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) Gas Mark 5 and grease and base line an 18cm tin.
• Whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
• Slowly whisk in the oil.
• Fold in the remaining cake ingredients and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until firm and golden.  Cool on a wire tray.
• Beat together the butter and icing sugar until smooth.  Add the diced stem ginger and a little syrup and mix well.  Spread over the cooled cake.